Rating summary
| Movie |  | 2.0 |
| Video | | 2.0 |
| Audio |  | 3.0 |
| Extras |  | 0.5 |
| Overall | | 2.0 |
Death Dimension Blu-ray Movie Review
Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman June 20, 2020
Note: This film is available as part of Al Adamson: The Masterpiece Collection.
Disc Twelve of The Masterpiece Collection continues with the Blaxploitation theme of the last couple of discs in this set, albeit this time with
star Jim Kelly in the spotlight in both films.
If
Black Samurai saw Adamson and Jim Kelly trying to offer their version of James Bond, there's more quasi-secret agenting going on here
with Kelly portraying a martial arts expert LA cop named Ash who is tasked with protecting a winsome lass named Felicia (Patch Mackenzie), who has
had a microchip containing plans for a world dominating weather control device implanted in her forehead. The film is notable for its obvious tip of the
hat (and/or steel brimmed bowler) to James Bond courtesy of George Lazenby portraying Ash's boss and Harold 'Odd Job' Takata portraying the film's
chief villain. Kind of interestingly, the element utilized here offers the film's German title,
Der Einzelkämpfer.
Death Dimension Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality
Death Dimension is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Severin Films with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.84:1. This features a pretty
badly faded element that is often so fuzzy and with such a thick, almost overpowering, grain field that I almost wonder if it was sourced from some kind
of 16mm reduction element. Whatever was used is faded very strongly toward brown a lot of the time, and there are lots of scratches, including some
large multicolored horizontal ones. While faded, the palette has occasional "oomph", and some of the blues in particular look relatively good. There is
a definite downturn at circa 50:50, where a bunch of blue tinted scenes are just littered with scratches and other damage, and detail levels tip
precariously. There's also some noticeable flicker on occasion.
Death Dimension Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality
Death Dimension features a DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Mono track that sounded a bit heavy to my ears in the low range, something that was
perhaps exacerbated by the repeated use of a kick drum as "underscore". Amplitude on some dialogue also seems low, though for the most part
dialogue and effects are delivered clearly. English subtitles are available via the button on your remote.
Death Dimension Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras
- Alternate Dimension de la Mort French Title (1080p; 00:50)
- Death Dimension Trailer (1080p; 2:10)
Death Dimension Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation
Death Dimension has some fun elements, and its cast is going to appeal to certain folks, but it doesn't really match Black Samurai's
general energy levels. This presentation suffers from pretty badly damaged video and occasionally hobbled audio.
